From July 1 onwards clubs will be able to host ACBL-sanctioned games on RealBridge, allowing players to earn ACBL masterpoints on the only online platform that looks and feels like real bridge.
Following a recent agreement between the ACBL and RealBridge, the two organizations are working together to implement the necessary interfaces to support this new opportunity. Bronia Jenkins, Executive Director of the ACBL, said, "We are delighted to offer an ACBL sanction to RealBridge. Through RealBridge's work with the ACBL Educational Foundation and the ACBL's Social Bridge Nights, we have become familiar with their technology and their commitment to quality. We're confident that expanding the options available to players to include platforms like RealBridge is good for bridge."
RealBridge is a British company that started as a lockdown project for Graham Hazel, a professional software developer. He lives in Cambridge, England, with his family. Andy Bowles and Shireen Mohandes, also British, live in London, England. Their background is in financial and broadcast software for advertising and television. As enthusiastic bridge players, they have been visiting North America to play bridge since the mid-1990s. Shireen immerses herself in bridge history, specializing in the period 1933 to 1948. She is also the former editor of the American Bridge Teachers' Association (ABTA) journal.
RealBridge is coming up to its fifth birthday this fall. Unlike other online bridge platforms, we are a business-to-business company, with a customer base of more than 1,000 clubs and teachers all over the world. RealBridge doesn't normally run games itself, and we don't compete with bridge clubs. Instead, we work with our customers to enable them to host games and lessons online, and to provide the best possible experience for their members.
We're delighted that ACBL players will soon be able to enjoy the features that set RealBridge apart from others: integrated audio and video, affordable price model, an environment that retains the bridge-club atmosphere, and a flexible yet simple-to-use application that looks and feels close to real-life bridge.
The ACBL and RealBridge have been working hard together to create a comfortable and easy user experience, from logging in through to seeing the final ranking list and master point awards. We invite you to get in touch with us to see how that works. We can provide you with details regarding data flows and the financial aspects.
For more information about the features and benefits of RealBridge, please see RealBridge for Clubs
To learn more about how it works from a player's perspective, see RealBridge for Players and RealBridge Quick Start Guide for Players
If you manage a bridge club or teach bridge, and you'd like to find out more about how to run games on RealBridge, please contact:
Shireen@realbridge.online | Phone number: +44 794 232 2209 | WhatsApp: +44 772 692 0784
Go to Try RealBridge and sign up for some sessions. Just 8 boards long, these are an ideal opportunity to experience the features of the platform from a player's point of view.
Visit Club Owner / Director / Teacher Training to sign up for our free training courses. These are not about the craft of directing or teaching, they are about how to get the most out of RealBridge to make sure that your games run smoothly and to maximise the enjoyment of the players.
